


Take Care

by AJWrites1998



Category: Animaniacs
Genre: Fever Dream, Sick Character, Sickfic, Yakko is a good big brother, and he has the best siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:47:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28007946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AJWrites1998/pseuds/AJWrites1998
Summary: Just because Yakko was expecting to get sick doesn't mean he has to like it.At least his siblings are there to help him through it.
Comments: 15
Kudos: 185





	Take Care

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first fic for this fandom so I hope you enjoy!

When the stomach pain hit Yakko Warner, he was honestly expecting it. 

The bug going around the studio had hit Wakko first. It was noticeable, because the kid ate like a machine, and when there was still food in the fridge halfway through the day, the other two Warner siblings became worried.

Dot was second, following just a day after Wakko started feeling sick. So, Yakko set them both up in the same bed and became caretaker extraordinaire. Between caring for the two of them and keeping up with his own schedule, he didn’t get much sleep.

So, it was no surprise to him when he woke up sweaty, cold, and clutching his stomach. It was, however, not what he wanted to wake up to. He stumbled to the bathroom, throwing some water on his face. 

He thought about his next move while he looked at himself in the mirror. He could give in, admit that he was getting sick, and go back to sleep. That sounded nice. But his siblings still needed him. He’d only gone to sleep for an hour, and that was only because he’d passed out in the chair next to their bed. He was beginning to think the only reason he’d woken up was the pain. He was still tired as hell. 

He cuts off his pity party after hearing a shout from the bedroom. He’s needed. It was time to be the adult whether he wanted to or not. He runs a hand through his hair, slightly more presentable, and heads to the bedroom. 

“Yakko?” Dot calls again. 

“Sorry, Dot, I was just in the bathroom. What do you need?” he asks. She looks better, by all accounts, but exhausted. He would do anything for that sad little face. 

“Just a glass of water.” she says, yawning. It’s a good sign, at least.

“Of course. Do you wanna try some toast as well?” he asks, and she nods. He smiles and kisses the top of her head. “I’ll be right back.” 

He adds in some toast for Wakko as well. He’d done well with it yesterday, and if his appetite was getting back to normal, he’d be needing to eat again. He doesn’t make any for himself. He’s just not hungry yet, he tells himself. He’ll eat later. 

He hands a plate to Dot and shakes Wakko awake gently. As soon as he wakes up, Wakko eats the whole plate in one go. 

“Can I have some more?” he asks, holding his plate up. Yakko giggles. 

“Feeling better, then, I take it?” Yakko takes the plate from him. Wakko nods vigorously. Yakko takes his temperature, then Dot’s. “Well, the good news is both of you are fever free, but let’s rest today, yeah? We have to keep you hydrated.” He quickly brings in a glass of water for Wakko. “How about I make a real breakfast?”

Wakko gives a wide grin, and Dot nods happily. It’s good to see them feeling better. It’s been uncannily quiet around the water tower, and it’s made him uneasy. Just seeing his siblings perk up takes away a bit of his anxiety. 

“Alright, one amazing breakfast coming right up!” He says, donning a chef’s outfit. He speeds to the kitchen, coming to a halt when he gets dizzy. Luckily, with his siblings still safely in bed, they didn’t notice. He starts to make scrambled eggs.

He’s able to whip it up pretty quickly considering his need to stop and brace himself against the counter every few minutes. He spreads his work out on a tray and brings it to his siblings, who light up when they see it. It’s gone within seconds. 

“Alright, what else do you guys wanna do today?” he asks when they’re finished eating. 

“Can we watch TV?” Dot asks.

“Yeah, and play video games?” Wakko adds.

“Sounds fun! Why don’t we get you settled on the couch, I’ll call Scratchy and let him know you guys are feeling better, and then we’ll do that?” He asks. His siblings look excited. They jump on him, giving him exaggerated kisses, and he carries them both to the couch. His arms only shake a little bit. He dumps them on the couch. “I’ll be right back.”

In truth, he can’t leave quickly enough. He’s been getting steadily more nauseous for a while, and now he knows he can’t hold it in. He rushes to the bathroom.

He’s really not sure what meal he ate last, but it’s coming back up now. When he’s done, he leans back against the wall, exhausted. He needs to clean up, fast. His siblings still need him. He flushes the toilet and runs water from the sink, taking a quick drink out of it to get the awful taste out of his mouth. He splashes some on his face as well. 

When he’s finished there, he actually calls Scratchy. He wasn’t lying about that. They’d been postponing their sessions since his siblings had gotten sick, and it seemed like the doctor was genuinely worried about them. When he hears the greeting from the other side of the phone, he sits up straighter, trying to seem put together despite the fact he can’t be seen. 

“Hey, Scratchy. Just needed to say we’re on for tomorrow. The sibs are healing nicely.” he says. His voice comes out a lot weaker than he thought. He coughs to clear his throat.

“That’s very well, Yakko, but are you alright? You don’t sound so good.” The doctor says. He sounds worried.

“I’m fine, doc. I’ll see you tomorrow.” he says. His voice sounds a lot more normal the second time. He hangs up before the doctor can say anything else. He’s really not in the mood for witty comebacks today.

He leaves the bathroom and sits on the chair next to the couch. The TV is already on and his siblings are already watching it. 

“What’s on today?” he asks casually. If they heard any of what happened, they don’t say anything. 

“Some old Slappy Squirrel cartoons.” Dot says, chuckling as Slappy blows up a wolf. 

Yakko nods. He turns his attention to the TV. He tries to pay attention, but he’s slipping. He’s tired. It makes sense, he hasn’t properly slept in...days. Maybe no one will notice if he just closes his eyes for just a minute…

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

“Yakko?” 

He stirs from his sleep to Dot’s voice and Wakko’s gentle shake. Right, his siblings, why had he been so careless as to leave them alone for something as selfish as sleeping? He kicks himself. 

“Wha’?” That’s what he says instead. His speech is still behind his brain, which is pretty foggy as it is. He doesn’t realize Dot has said something else until she seems to be waiting for an answer. “Oh, what did you say?” She rolls her eyes. 

“I originally asked if you wanted to go to bed, but now you have no choice.” She grins. She and Wakko take either side of him and pull him to his feet. He sways a little, getting a sudden dizzy spell, but he’s able to shake it off. He’s not, however, succeeding in shaking off his siblings. 

“Guys, I’m fine, really. Watching TV is restful enough, that’s why I suggested it!” He insists, but they’re still pushing him. They bypass the ballpit and shove him in a real bed with an actual mattress, which he finds rather insulting.

“Not for you, it isn’t. Not right now anyways. When was the last time you slept?” Dot asks dubiously. 

“Uhhhhhhh the fifth amendment says I don’t have to answer that.” he says, trying to resist laying down but falling into it anyways. He gets a nasty look from his siblings. “Okay, okay, so today’s Wednesday, so... carry the one...four days?” The nasty looks don’t go away, even with his slight joke caked in. 

“Yeah, you’re going to sleep.” 

He doesn’t even register which of his siblings says that one.

He’s asleep before he has another thought.

\------------------------------------------------------------

Dot and Wakko sit on the couch for a while. Wakko is engrossed in Don Knotts movies and Dot is plugged in to the internet, updating her new social media profiles. The silence is weird. Usually, they wouldn’t have nearly enough time to do this without someone coming up with anything more fun to do. It’s the whole reason they got a show in the first place. Without interruptions, they barely notice the passing time. Before they realize it, it’s almost time for bed.

“Do you think he’s okay?” 

Wakko looks over at Dot when she speaks. She seems a little uneasy, but he is too, and this time it has nothing to do with feeling ill.

“He definitely shouldn’t have stayed up so long. We can go and check on him?” he asks, and Dot nods. They push themselves off the couch and head back to find their brother. 

Yakko is still asleep, but something is off. He’s tossing and turning, something he usually doesn’t do. He’s got a blanket pulled all the way to his chin, which is also weird, because he never sleeps with a blanket (Wakko teases him for it and calls him a heathen all the time.) They hear a deep groan, and that cements it. Something is Wrong. 

The younger Warners rush to their brother’s side. On a hunch, Dot puts a hand on his forehead, and quickly pulls it away. 

“He’s burning up!” she exclaims, concern filling her eyes. Wakko can feel it welling up in his chest as well. “He must’ve caught what we had.” 

Wakko nods in response. He takes a deep breath. 

“Okay, right. We need to help him. What’s the first thing he did for us when we got sick?” Wakko asks, rubbing his chin for effect. 

“He put those cold wash cloths on our heads,” Dot answers, “and got us water to drink.” 

Wakko reaches into his gag bag and pulls out a comically large pitcher of water, filled with ice. He debates pouring the whole pitcher onto his brother, but stops when he gets a look from Dot. He shrugs and sets it on the bedside table. He then pulls out a washcloth, dips it in, and sets it on his brother’s forehead. Yakko winces, inhaling sharply, and startles at the sensation.

“Sibs?” he asks. His voice is strained, quiet. It’s not a sound that usually comes from him. 

“We’re right here.” Dot says, jumping up on the bed next to him. Wakko follows, climbing up the side of it. He lets out another groan, much lower pitched. 

“Sibs? Where are you?” he asks again, which causes them to share a confused look. 

“We’re right here, Yakko, just like we said.” Wakko says, coming closer.

“What have you done with them?” he asks, and he sounds scared. 

“Nobody’s done anything with us, Yakko, please.” Dot says. She looks like she’s about to cry. Wakko intervenes.

“Dot, go get Scratchy, he’ll know what to do. I’ll stay with Yakko.” he says, and Dot nods. She practically runs out of the tower. 

Wakko presses the towel down on Yakko’s head. There was something else he needed...right, medicine. It was still sitting on the table. He pops out two pills, just like Yakko had given him, and tries to help Yakko sit up. He opens Yakko’s mouth and slips them in, giving him a sip of water afterwards. 

Then, he waits, just holding Yakko’s hand and hoping he’ll stop crying. 

After what feels like forever, Yakko sits up, looking around. 

“Wakko?” he asks, knitting his eyebrows.

“Right here. You with me this time?” he asks. Yakko looks confused, but nods.

“Can you just...talk to me?” he asks. Wakko freezes. He’s never been any good with words. He can do a mean visual gag or just sit with someone if they need help, but he’s never known what to say to help someone. “It can be anything, I just...need to know it’s you here.” Must have been some nightmare.

“Okay. Right. Um….” then it dawns on him. They’ve done so many cartoons. “There once was a king from Anvilania named King Yakko…” he launches into a retelling of one of his favorites. It had always made Yakko so happy when he got to play a king.

By the time his story was through, Yakko had fallen back asleep, and Dot had returned with Scratchy, who looked over their sick brother. Wakko hardly heard any of it. He was curled into Yakko now, falling asleep to the rise and fall of his brother’s chest.

\-----------------------------------------------

When Yakko wakes up, his siblings are still asleep next to him, but they’re surprisingly not the only ones in the room. 

Dr. Scratchansniff starts to wake up in the chair next to the bed, and Yakko nearly jumps out of his skin. 

“Scratchy? What are you doing here?” he asks, his voice weak. He just looks over, doesn’t try to sit up. He would, but his siblings are curled into him and he doesn’t want to wake them up. 

“You don’t remember? Your sister came and got me in the middle of the night, you were running quite a fever and they couldn’t get you to wake up.” he answers, standing up and putting the thermometer in Yakko’s mouth. 

Yakko thinks back. He remembers the dream he was having, the one where he was sitting all alone in the tower and he couldn’t find his siblings. He remembers some chatter, and Wakko taking his hand, talking to him…

He’s pulled back to reality when the doctor pulls the thermometer out.

“101. I think it’s best you stay in bed for today, yeah?” the doctor says. 

“But Wakko and Dot-”

“-are fine, Yakko. They can take care of themselves, you know this. In fact, you should let them take care of you for today.” 

Yakko ponders this. He had just spent the last four days catering to their every whim, making sure they’d feel better as fast as possible. He definitely wouldn’t mind feeling that taken care of himself. 

“Yeah. Okay. Thanks, doc.”

“I will tell the studio you will be out of commission for a few more days. If Wakko and Dot have to shoot, I’ll come by and check on you. Until then, stay out of trouble.” he says that last bit with a twinkle of sadness in his eye, as if he’s actually missing the mischievous side of Yakko. 

“No promises.” Yakko says, drifting back off to sleep. 

When he does wake up again, he’s alone. He sits up, looking around, and he’s just about to get up and look for them when he hears the sound of footsteps approaching. 

Quickly. 

They tackle him before he even sees them. 

“Ow, careful, I’m still sick, y’know!” He exclaims, laughing.

“Don’t you dare ever scare me like that again.” Dot says, waving a finger in his face. 

“I promise.” he says, and Wakko hugs him tighter. He sneezes, and he’s immediately handed a tissue. 

Yeah, he could get used to this kind of attention.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you guys think! Let me know in the comments if you guys want more sickfics from me!


End file.
